


A Broken Mask

by Moonrose95



Category: A Broken Mask, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Sciencetale (Undertale), Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Female Frisk (Undertale), Gen, Healing, Hopeful Ending, Psychological Trauma, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Undertale Pacifist Route, not a tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24565981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonrose95/pseuds/Moonrose95
Summary: Frisk Wolfneu has fallen into the Underground, where monsters dwell. Guided by "The Professor", she faces the monsters in the hopes of finding an exit. Between the Royal Guard and the Royal Scientists, rival factions of the monsters, navigating the Underground quietly is impossible. Several monsters in each faction seeks to bring Asgore the last human soul he needs to eradicate the humans that trapped them underground. Will they succeed? Or will they give up in the face of Frisk's unyielding Determination? And will Frisk finally find what she's been looking for...?
Kudos: 1





	1. Fallen

**Author's Note:**

> ["A Broken Mask" has themes of psychological abuse. Readers that are sensitive to themes of abuse and trauma should only read at their own discretion. A warning will be placed before any triggering content so that any viewers may skip over those parts.]
> 
> As far as the rest of the story...please enjoy!

I opened my eyes. Light filtered in from a large hole in the ceiling of the cave. It was dark, save for the spot of light on the ground streaming from the hole above me. I sat up, observing my surroundings. Yellow flowers blanketed the ground beneath me, their soft petals brushing against my skin. The cave itself was very dark but I could make out the formations of several rocks, which were directly beside a tunnel. The tunnel was pitch black.

I got to my feet, certain of my new course of action. I would have to follow the tunnel to find a way out of this cave. I couldn’t remember exactly how I had gotten here but I did know where I was supposed to be. I had to find an exit before any other incidents occurred.

*”Report! Where are you?!”*

A sudden shout from the Professor startled me, his loud voice breaking the silence. So the communication device hadn’t broken during whatever had happened to me. That was fortunate.

“I am in a cave.” I reported. “I cannot recall how I got here but I am underground, as I fell through the ceiling of this cave.”

*”Underground?!”* The Professor was frustrated. *”You fool! You’ve gotten yourself trapped in the Underground with all of the monsters!”*

So that’s why he was so flustered – I had somehow ended up trapping myself in the Underground, where monsters had been banished decades ago. If the monsters found out that a human was in the Underground, there was no telling what they would do to me. I had to preserve myself for the Professor and his research – I couldn’t afford to let myself be captured here.

The Professor sighed heavily, probably giving up on being angry with me since there was nothing either of us could do to easily fix this mistake at this point. *”Alright. You need to get a better idea of exactly where you are. Find a map or other diagram of the layout of the Underground. Tell me if you find a faster route to the Barrier or if you find another exit.”*

“Yes, Professor.”

*”Make sure you aren’t seen by the monsters. If you are, try to befriend them or something to ensure they don’t kill you on the spot. Is that clear? I don’t want to have your clumsiness ruin my research.”*

“Yes, Professor. I will do everything I can not to be seen.”

*”Don’t send me any messages unless it’s absolutely necessary. The monsters will find it suspicious if you talk to yourself and I’m fairly certain they have cameras in the main areas of the Underground. While I want everyone to know of my scientific genius, I don’t want to be associated with…them.”*

I wanted to ask how he knew about the cameras but I knew from experience that questioning him wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t want him to get angry again.

“Yes, Professor.”

*”Just get going already! You’re wasting time!”*

“Yes, Professor.”

The Professor grumbled irritably before switching his side of the communicator off. I allowed a few moments of silence to pass, making sure he was done talking, and then headed into the tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel was another cave, this one with a similar hole in the ceiling and spotlight on the ground, and a blanket of yellow flowers in that spotlight. This part of the cave was a little brighter.

A large yellow flower with a red stalk burst from the blanket of flowers. It had a face and was very happy to see me.

“Howdy!” It greeted loudly. “I’m Flowey! Flowey the Flower!”

Was this sentient flower a monster? It seemed so. That was the most logical reason for a flower to be sentient. As I tried to process what was happening and what the best course of action to take would be, the flower monster continued talking.

“Boy! You must be confused!” He made a slightly mocking expression before resuming his previous cheerful one. “I know! I can help you! That’s what we monsters love to do – help others!” From his tone and word choice, I could tell he was clearly not intent on helping me. He had a hidden motive for talking to me and I wasn’t keen on figuring out what that was.

Before I could move, I was suddenly surrounded by a few white pellets. They floated in the air, waiting for something. Was this Magic? I had heard that monsters could use Magic but I had never seen it so potent in anything but the Professor’s experiments. My Soul glowed red, meaning that Flowey had engaged in a Battle with me. It made me unnerved – he wanted to kill me, obviously. I couldn’t let him do that but I also didn’t want to kill him. On the other hand, if I fought back and didn’t kill him, he could possibly alert the entire Underground that a human was here. Since he had been so quick to initiate his attack, I safely assumed he didn’t want to befriend me. I was running out of options.

“You see that red heart? That’s your Soul. It’s the culmination of your very being!” He then pointed to the white pellets with two red leaves that had suddenly appeared on his stalk. “These are friendliness pellets!” Flowey lied. “They give you good feelings and heal you! Here, let them run into your Soul!”

I figured that just dodging would be fine for now. Even if this flower monster told the Underground there was a human, I could go along with that and ‘befriend’ them so that I can leave with little to no issues. I knew from the Professor’s psychology books that ‘friendship’ could change the minds of others. So, the best course of action to take would be to avoid getting killed by Flowey but not attack him.

The pellets started moving, steadily flying toward me. Once they got near enough, I made sure to avoid them all. I ducked and dodged the Magic carefully.

Flowey seemed a little peeved but kept his cheerful disposition. “What are you doing? How could you miss all of them? Here, let me do it again.”

He repeated his attack and I dodged all of his pellets again.

“Run. Into. The. Pellets.” Flowey angrily uttered each word separately, obviously losing his patience. He was no longer smiling, instead wearing an annoyed expression.

He repeated his attack and I dodged again.

“…” He paused for a moment. Then, an insane, demonic grin appeared on his face. It sent a shiver down my spine.

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON HERE, DON’T YOU?” His voice was no longer light and cheerful – it was dark, guttural, and full of hatred. “YOU CAME HERE JUST TO MOCK ME.”

Was he insinuating that I had been here before? Before I could ask him, I was suddenly surrounded by an unavoidable amount of white pellets.

“DIE.”

The pellets shot toward me and I thought that I was going to die for an instant…

Suddenly, a huge red fireball came whizzing from the darkness, hitting Flowey and instantly charring him. He panicked, his pellets and my Soul disappearing, and started desperately patting out the petals that were on fire.

“Wagh!” He cried out in pain, clearly struggling to put the fire out. “Whoa-whoa-whoa!!”

A large goat monster stepped out from the darkness, another fireball ready in the palm of her hand. She had a disgusted expression as she stared at Flowey. “You horrible monster.” Flowey seemed shocked to see her. “Trying to harm an innocent child.”

He started to shake, the burned edges of his petals falling off with the movements. “B-B-But-!”

The goat monster threw another perfectly aimed fireball at Flowey, engulfing him in flames for a moment before he collapsed on the ground, unconscious. She made sure he was down for good before turning to me with a smile. “Don’t worry, child. I shall not harm you.”

I realized I was frozen stiff. I supposed that her frighteningly strong fireballs were probably what caused my body to automatically react – to stay still in the hopes that she wouldn’t see me as a threat. I tried to relax myself so that the goat monster would be pleased.

“It’s such a terrible thing – what has happened to you.” The goat monster approached me, then gently pulled me into a hug. “You’re safe now, child. I won’t allow anything else to attack you.”


	2. Memories of Yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toriel leads Frisk through the Ruins, then brings her to her Home. Between the cinnamon butterscotch pie and the warmth of a parent's love, who would ever want to leave?

The goat monster, who introduced herself as Toriel, led me through what she referred to as “The Ruins”. She was cautious, carefully navigating the halls as if we weren’t alone. Who was she attempting to avoid? I hadn’t heard or seen any signs of life besides her and the flower so far.

Toriel was tall. She towered above me, miniaturizing me as if I were really a child and not an adult. She had glossy white fur and was wearing a set of maroon robes that hinted at a regal position. Her gait was sure and steady. She held herself like someone of royalty but had the sweet, gentle kindness of a mother.

She taught me how to do the simple puzzles in the Ruins as we journeyed in the darkness. Moving boxes, activating switches, and evading spikes were just some of the dangers we faced. We walked in silence, save for a few reassurances from Toriel that I was doing well.

Monster ways were foreign to me so I assumed everything she did was a tradition or habit of monsters.  
Puzzles, tests of basic intelligence, mercy.  
These were all things she placed in front of me. She treated me like a monster child, despite my human appearance

She left me alone in a sort of test to see how “strong” I was. She gave me a phone to contact her if I needed help, so I supposed I technically wasn't on my own.  
I gave the phone a try, to see if she would really pick up, and she did. Our conversations were short and slightly unnecessary but they warmed my heart all the same.

She would say:  
"Are you doing alright?"  
"I was wondering...do you prefer butterscotch or cinnamon?"  
"Just let me know if you need more help, my child."  
And I would feel as if everything was going to be fine, in those moments.

As I arrived at her house in the Ruins, after finding my way through traps, I noticed a strange star by her home. It was a spot of light. A glowing star-like oddity. I approached it, curious, and found myself suddenly filled with determination. Determination to get through the Underground and face whatever was ahead.

Putting the strange star aside, I turned my attention to Toriel’s house.  
It was warm, yet quiet. The exterior was small but I imagined it led further into the Underground.  
Strangely enough, there had been only one definitive path forward in the Ruins. It made me wonder why Toriel was so worried – I had taken some time to explore the dead ends and had found no living creatures besides us.

It didn’t matter, I had to remind myself. All I needed to do was push forward and escape the Underground. Anything in the Ruins was going to be left behind - I could feel it. Once I went deeper, there was no going back.

Once I went inside, Toriel quickly met me at the front door.

“Oh, there you are! I was getting worried that you had become lost!” She didn’t wait for me to reply and instead gently put her hand in mine and led me toward the left side of the house. “I made the pie I promised!”

Ah, yes. She had mentioned baking a pie earlier. Something about wanting to know if I liked cinnamon or butterscotch. Obviously I didn’t care either way but my taste buds did prefer butterscotch.

“Here you go.” Toriel handed me a fresh, warm slice of cinnamon butterscotch pie. “I’m so glad I started early or it never would have been done in time for your arrival.”  
She cheerfully clasped her hands together, waiting for me to eat.

Fortunately, I had been prepared for a social situation like this. In this scenario, I was expected to produce a particular reaction to something I had been given as a gift. I readied myself to eat the pie when…

The front door opened and closed.

Toriel suddenly got nervous. She grabbed me by the shoulders and quickly pushed me into the kitchen, hiding me from whoever had just entered the house. “Please stay in there for a moment, my child.” She quietly told me, leaving me alone as she confronted the intruder.

I had barely managed to save the pie from sliding off the plate as I was shoved into the kitchen. I adjusted myself, putting the pie slice on the counter and making myself smaller in the corner, just in case the intruder decided to investigate the room I was in. Although I could fend for myself, I had to respect Toriel’s concerns and hide.

A stranger’s voice was talking to Toriel. I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying but I wasn’t curious enough to compromise my hiding spot. Where had this intruder been hiding in the Ruins? I had investigated all of the dead ends…or had I? Were there hidden passages?

As they continued their conversation, I looked around the kitchen. I noticed there was a pot and a set of knives on the counter where I had set the pie slice. There was also the corner of a chocolate bar poking out from the top of the fridge. Even from just the corner, I recognized the wrapping.  
Did Toriel like the same kind of chocolate as The Professor? How had she gotten it? Or perhaps it was the old version of the chocolate – I couldn’t tell from the angle I was at.

The murmurs from the living room stopped. I listened carefully, waited for the sound of a door opening and closing, and carefully peeked out from the kitchen to make sure the stranger was really gone.

Toriel was standing alone. She turned around, saw me, and gave me a reassuring smile. I exited the kitchen, walking over to her.

“I apologize for that, my child.” She seemed at a loss for words for a moment. “…” She clasped her hands together. “Did you like your slice of pie?”

I realized I hadn’t eaten it yet. “Oh, right. I’m sorry, I forgot to eat it.”

She gently held me by the shoulders and steered me out of the living room.  
“It is quite alright, my child. You must be weary. How about you rest now and I’ll bring your slice to you once I’ve warmed it up a bit?”

“That sounds nice.” I admitted, my body tired from walking through the Ruins.  
Perhaps some rest would restore my stamina.

She led me to a room. Once I was inside, she waved cheerfully and then left. I could only assume she was going to warm up the pie.

I quietly looked around. Children’s books, toys, clothes, and pictures were scattered around the room. All of the clothing had the same blue and purple pattern – I wondered if the child that had been here got tired of wearing the same colors every day. I was curious to know who the child was that owned this bedroom. I wanted to ask but I also couldn’t waste time here. I had to return to the surface.

Something caught my eye.

A drawing of a golden locket was on a nearby desk. The locket was the same as The Professor’s. This was a very strange coincidence. How likely was it that both the chocolate and the locket were shared by the child who lived here? Maybe I was overthinking things.

Setting aside my curiosity, I went to the bed and laid down.

I sank into the plush mattress, covered with a soft cotton blanket. It was comfortable and nostalgic. Smells drifted through the air as I relaxed – smells I hadn’t noticed before. Cinnamon and butterscotch pie, old books, paint, wood, fireplace smoke.

I drifted off to sleep.


	3. Trial By Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk wants to leave but Toriel won't give up without a struggle...

I slowly woke.

I had no way to tell what time it was since there were no clocks anywhere and daylight didn’t reach this far underground. It made me wonder if the monsters even had a way to measure time or if it was just this house that lacked it.

I sat up in bed, still a little weary. As I rubbed my eyes, I noticed there was a slice of pie on the bedside table. I reached over, expecting it to be cold, and instead found it to be pleasantly warm. Had Toriel awakened me? Perhaps when I had fallen asleep, she had decided to wait until ‘morning’ to give me the slice.

Of course, that made me wonder how she knew how much time had passed.

I shook the thought from my mind, assuming it didn’t matter. There was a slice of warm butterscotch cinnamon pie and I was hungry. I picked up the fork from the plate and ate the slice, savoring every bite. It tasted like…what ‘home’ would taste like if the word had a flavor. It was warm, inviting, and familiar.

Once I had eaten every last crumb, I took the plate and fork out of the room and made my way to the kitchen to put them in the sink. As I placed them in the sink, I heard a soft rustling sound behind me.

“I see you are awake, my child.” Toriel greeted me with a smile. “I was thinking we could read some books this morning. If…you want to.”

“Miss Toriel…I’d love to read with you but…I should really be moving on.”

She paused for a moment, then, as if she hadn’t heard what I said, she took my hand and led me to the living room where the bookshelf was. “I have many books. And it would be wonderful to have someone to read to, you see.”

Was she trying to make me feel bad about leaving so soon? The problem was, if I stayed here any longer, I would start getting attached and it would be tougher to leave.

“I’m sorry but I need to go. I have to get back to the surface.”

Her expression dipped with worry momentarily, then she gave me a reassuring smile.

“Pardon me. I need to take care of something.”

She left me quickly, hurrying into the main hall. I followed her, curious, to see her disappear down a flight of stairs I hadn’t noticed before. The stairs led down to a hallway, which wrapped around a corner and then ended in…a large door.

Toriel stood in front of the door, facing away from me ominously.

“…you want to leave that badly…?” She asked, slowly turning around. Her face was serious, almost resolute but tinged with sadness. “Fine. Then prove to me…that you’re strong enough to survive.”

My Soul suddenly appeared, glowing red. I realized that Toriel had engaged in a battle with me. Was she really going to…?

Dark red flames sprouted from the air around her, startling me. The tiny flames floated toward me, aiming for my Soul. I dodged them and she continued to send flames my way. I got hit a few times, flinching at the burning hot pain. Thankfully, this fire didn’t seem to leave any lasting pain. As my health steadily went down, Toriel’s attacks started to miss me, until her attacks weren’t trying to hit me at all.

I slowly approached her as her flames died and tears streamed down her cheeks.

She pulled me into a hug, sniffling a little.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you…I couldn’t protect any of you. I can’t keep you here. But know this – the world beyond that door is fraught with danger. Once you leave…you may never return.”

She stopped the hug, smiling and gently touching my cheek.

“I hope your journey is fulfilling.”

And with that…she left.

I watched her disappear down the hallway, then turned my attention to the door. It was a rather large door, made for someone about four times my size. It was dark red, with an unfamiliar emblem etched into its surface.

I braced myself, heeding Toriel’s warning, and opened the door.


	4. Genius Comedian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk starts her journey in Snowdin Forest, where a certain pun-loving skeleton monster stands "guard" as a sentry...

As the large door to the Ruins gently closed behind me, I took in the new scenery. Snow. Trees. Bushes. And in the distance, I could make out a small bridge. This part of the Underground was completely different from the barren Ruins.

Before I continued past the bushes outside the doors to the Ruins, something caught my eye. In the bushes, a small camera was steadily watching me. I took note of it and then looked away. If a monster really was watching me through that camera, staring at it was probably not a good idea. Upsetting the monsters and making them see me as a threat was the last thing I wanted to do.

I walked through the snow, making my way toward the small bridge in the distance. The crunch under my boots felt nice. The crisp, cold air nipping at my skin felt pleasant as well. It felt closer to the temperature of the Lab.

I reached the bridge without any trouble. Before I could walk onto it, however…

SNAP!

I immediately turned toward the sound, surprised. A lone branch lay in the path behind me, broken. It hadn’t been there before and I certainly hadn’t stepped on it. Where had it come from? Not sensing that I was in any danger, I decided to turn back toward the bridge. Whoever had snapped the branch wanted me to know they were there. Whether their intention was to make me aware of their presence or give me a sense of unease, they had achieved both.

“Dontcha know how to greet a new pal?” A low, steady voice spoke from behind me.

Chills ran up my spine. It wasn’t necessarily that he had scared me but the way he was introducing himself was foreboding. It was as if he saw me as a threat. Making sure I was uneasy around him and understood that he could be right behind me and I wouldn’t know it until…it was too late.

I turned to face the voice, finding a skeleton monster in a blue, fuzzy hoodie holding his hand out toward me. His expression was relaxed and cheerful but, from experience, I knew that he was suspicious of me. I had seen a very similar expression on Lab visitors who saw me. The Professor was renowned so anyone near him was assumed to be either mooching off him for his knowledge or his money. Yes, the expression of someone who clearly doesn’t trust you but who has their own reasons for pretending otherwise.

The skeleton monster was uncomfortable. “Uh…are you just going to stand there?”

I looked at his hand. He had it outstretched. From what I understood, it was proper manners to shake someone’s hand when they extended a hand to you. However, I also noticed there was a strange device on the palm of his outstretched hand.

He noticed I was staring at the device and chuckled weakly. “Eheheh…sorry, I couldn’t resist the old ‘whoopie-cushion-in-the-hand’ trick…”

I took his hand in a firm handshake, activating the “whoopee cushion”. He was surprised that I had shaken his hand but his surprise turned into genuine delight as the fart noise filled the empty air.

“Heh.” His smile was no longer suspicious, instead more honest. “My name is Sans. Sans the skeleton. You’re a human, right?”

“My name is Frisk,” I replied.

“Frisk, huh?” He eyed the choker on my neck. “I see. Do you have a last name to go with that?”

He had probably noticed the damaged part of the tag on my choker.

“Frisk Wolfneu.”

“Wolfneu.” Sans tilted his head a little, intrigued. “Sounds pretty cool. Almost as cool as my brother, Papyrus.” He seemed to remember something. “Oh, right. You see, my job here is to be a sentry. I watch the Ruins to make sure no humans pass through. I would capture you but…meh, capturing is too much work. My brother, on the other hand…he would love nothing more than to capture a human. Capturing a human would mean that he gets to be a part of the Royal Guard.” Sans sighed a little. “I would stay clear of him, kid. You don’t want to meet King Asgore, believe me. If Papyrus captured you, he would bring you to our King, who would use your soul to open the barrier that’s keepin’ us down here.”

“That would be bad.” I agreed.

Sans chuckled. “Right. So, just avoid bein’ captured. I’ll help you as much as I can but even I have my limits.”

“Why are you helping me?” I asked, curious to know his motivations.

Sans sweated a little. “Uh, well, let’s just say I made a promise. And that promise involves protecting you until you leave the Underground.”

“So Toriel asked you to help me.”

Sans blushed a little, caught off guard, before becoming suspicious again. “You’re pretty smart, kid. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. We should probably get going before any other monsters realize you’re down here.”

“What about whoever is watching me through the cameras?”

Sans was shocked. “Y-You noticed the cameras?”

“It was hard not to notice the camera sticking out of the bushes next to the Ruins.”

“Oh, right.” Sans let out a heavy sigh. “That’s Dr. Alphys. She doesn’t want to hurt you – she’s kind of a human fanatic, if you know what I mean. She should be the only one watching the cameras, so don’t worry about that.”

“She ‘should’ be?”

Sans started to get a little irritated but answered my question anyway. “You might want to avoid the head of the Laboratory, Professor Gaster. While Dr. Alphys is the one in charge of watching the cameras, he does tend to watch them too, but very rarely. Professor Gaster won’t watch the cameras unless you do something to draw attention to yourself.”

“Thank you for helping me.”

Sans blushed a little, his pained smile becoming more relaxed again. “No problem, kiddo. Like I said, I made a promise. Now, you should head into Snowdin. My bro and I live there but if you hurry you should be able to avoid his afternoon patrol. The monsters in town are pretty relaxed so I doubt they’ll sell you out. Just be discreet and you should be fine.”

He stood in place as I turned to go.

I paused, looking at him in confusion. “Aren’t you coming with me?”

Sans chuckled. “Nah. I have a shortcut. I’ll meet you in Waterfall. It’s right after Snowdin – I have a sentry post there.”


End file.
